Baseball glove



3 J. BROMLEY BASEBALL GLOVE Jul 1,1930.

Filed Aprii 5, 1928' memes Jul 1, 1930 'ETED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHNBROMLEY, or GLOSTER, NEW JERSEY BASEBALL GLOVE Application filed April5, 1928. Serial No. 267,439.

Consisting substantially of a sheet of suitable moisturesproof material,usually rub- ,ber, out approximately to the shape or outline of theglove and' inserted at the palm side thereof, usually between the outer15,1eather and the lining, to prevent perspiration from the users handpermeating the 'outer leather.

The guard preferably serves as a pad for all or a part of the playershand, or cooperates with other padding material .to protect .the handfrom the force of the ball impact.

Desirably also the guard has a central palm formation or ballsocketadapted to enable the player to more certainly receive and 2 securelyhold the ball; or, as otherwise stated, to provide a palm formationsimilar to that'of a thoroughly broken in glove,

but of a permanentcharacter on account of s guard or combined guardandpad 15, Fig.

a definite concave formation in the palm portion of the guard.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention are furthersufficiently explained in connection with the following detaildescription of the accompanying drawing, which showsonerepresentativeembodiment.

After considering this example, skilled persons will understand thatmany variations may bemade without departing from the principlesdisclosed,'and I contemplate the. .40 employment of any structures thatare prop- H erly within the scope of the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a planview (that is, a view ofthe front orpalm side) of a gameglove'embodying the invention in one .form, with some parts broken awayor in section.

Fig. 2 is a section at 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3- is a plan view of one suitable form v of guard.

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail at l4,Fig. While the invention may beembodied in hand apparel of different types, such, for

example, as a catchers mitt, it is here shown as adapted to a glove ofthe type known to baseball players as a fieldersglove. This includes thefront or palm 1 ofsuitable sheet. material, usually leather, and theback '2,

also of sheet material, such as leather'or canvas. The front and backsheets are cut andsewedto provide finger portions 3and a thumb portion'i, as usual, the glove structure proper being of anyknown or suitabletypeexcept for special features of adaptation for the present purposes,as presently noted. The front or palm structure also includesa lining 5of suitable sheet material,

usually soft leather, secured to the front sheet 1 and back sheet 2 byedge seams as at '6 but separate from the front sheet at the wrist edge7, so that the front or palm structure of the glove is practically inthe form of a pocket to receive paddingsuch as 8, Fig. 2. The front andlining sheets are usually provided at the wrist edges withsimilarly-spaced eyelets 9 so that these sheets may be secured togetherat the wrist by .a lace 10" after the padding is adjusted or readjustedby the player. p

The principal feature of my invention is a of the glove; thus itincludes in the present instance a central or palm portion .16, separatefingerfportions 17, anda thumb portion 18, that'enter and fit flatlywithin the tubular fingersand thumb, of the glove. At the tips of thefinger and thumb portions I preferably provide strap or pocketformations 19 to receive the tips of the fingers, and thus facilitateinsertion of the guard sheet in the glove. Perforations 20 are desirablymade near the wrist edge 21, these being spaced the same as the spacingof the eyelets 9 above. mentioned. Desirably, although not necessarily,a socket or pocket formation 22 is formed substantiallyat the center ofthe palm portion 16, this socket consisting of a conoavely pressed ormolded portion of the integral guard material.

The guard 15 is inserted in the palm structure of the glove while thewrist edges of the front and lining sheets are unconnected, thisinsertion being facilitated by placing the tips of the fingers and thumbin the guard formation 19. The thumb and finger portions of the guardare thus easily inserted in the similar parts of the palm structure andthereupon the guard is positioned as sufficiently shown in Figs. 1 and2, and is secured by inserting the lace 10 through eyelets 9 and theregistering holes 20 of the guard. V 7

When such a guardis used or located in the love in the manner described,the palm pad ing may in some cases be omitted, since the guard sheetwill usually provide sufficient protective padding for the palm of theplayer. Finger padding 8 may, however, be retained, the finger portionsof the guard being located between the padding and the lining 5. Ifnecessary the palm padding ma also be retained.

The guar sheet 15 is located between the alm surface of the players handand the ront leather 1 of the glove, and being of rubber or othermoisture-proof material,

entirely prevents access of perspiration from the hand to the front,leather, and any discoloration or other deterioration thereof from thiscause. The lining sheet 5 is interposed between the guard and the hand,so that the hand is not in contact with the rubber. The palm portion 16of the guard overlying the palm of the hand ordinarily rovidessufficient hand protection from ball 1m act, as indicated above. Theconcave soc et or pocket formation 22, located at a central position ofthe palm, where the ball is naturally received, also .has a substantialcushioning effect due to the more or less loosely overlying palmmaterial 16, which tends to form an air pocket in the concavity 22; andthis pocket or concave formation also conforms substantially to the ballsurface and assists the player, even when the glove is new, in properlyreceiving and retaining the ball in his gloved hand, after the fashionof the ordinary glove or mitt after it has been thoroughly broken in, aswell understood by ball players.

The guard may easily be removed at any time, as, for example, tofacilitate drying the love lining material 5, by removing the ace 10,and easily reinserted, as sufficiently explained above.

I claim:

1. A game glove having a palm structure includin an outer sheet and alining, and a uard s eet of moisture-proof material of substantialthickness located between the outer sheet and the liner and preventingaccess of moisture from the hand of the user to the outer sheet, theglove palm structure including tubular thumb and finger formations, andthe guard sheet having substantially corresponding formations providedat their tips with means to receive the users finger and thumb tips andfacilitate insertion of the guard sheet in the glove palm structure.

2. A game glove having a palm structure including an outer sheet and alining, and a guard consisting of a single sheet of moisture-proofmaterial located between the outer sheet and the liner and preventingaccess of moisture from the hand of the user to the outer sheet, theguard sheet having thickness, contoured in substantial conformity to theglove palm contour and located between the front and lining sheetsthereof.

4. A players glove having a palm structure including a front and alining sheet unconnected except at certain edges, and also havingtubular finger and thumb formations, and a guard sheet of rubber ofsubstantial thickness, contoured insubstantial conformity to the glovepalm contour and removably located between the front and lining sheetsthereof.

5. A players glove having a palm structure including a front and alining sheet unconnected except at certain edges, and also havingtubular finger and thumb formations, and a guard sheet of rubber ofsubstantial thickness, contoured in substantial conformity to the glovepalm contour and located between the front and lining sheets thereof,the guard sheet having at the tips of its finger and thumb portions,pockets to receive the users finger tips and facilitate insertion of theguard sheet into the glove palm structure.

6. A players glove having a palm structure including a front and alining sheet unconnected except at certain edges, and also havingtubular finger and thumb formations, and a guard sheet of rubber ofsubstantial thickness, contoured in substantial conformity to the glovepalm contour and located between the front and lining sheet thereof, theguard sheet having at its wrist margin perforations spaced in conformitywith perforations in adjacent parts of the palm front and lining sheetsto receive a lace and retain the guard sheet in position.

7 A sweat guard for players gloves, consisting of a sheet ofmoisture-proof material cut in conformity to the palm outline of a gloveand including finger and thumb por-' ture. r

JOHN BROMLEY.

